This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

I finished this book yesterday, and I honestly can’t stop thinking about it. It takes some truly great writing to make me want to return to the grimy, dangerous depths of Kair Toren, but my brain simply refuses to let this world go. This epic fantasy novel features a wonderfully varied cast of characters: mercenaries, orphans, adorable animals, terrifying beasts, handsome knights, sinister villains, and one ordinary girl from the 20th century who wakes up stark naked in a ditch in the city of Kair Toren from her favorite fantasy book series. Maggie is exactly the kind of heroine I love: clever, knowledgeable, and literally impossible to kill. That last trait means the story’s shenanigans have absolutely no limits, and I loved every second of it. Admittedly, there is a lot of worldbuilding and plenty of political intrigue, and if you asked me to name all eight powerful houses, I definitely couldn’t. The first few chapters took a little time to settle into, but before long the rich character development, layered intrigues, and daring missions to save the world from impending doom had me completely hooked. All that to say, I genuinely enjoyed this book, it was the perfect mix of grungy fantasy and humorous modern thinking and I simply cannot wait for the next book to be released!